Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Utah Lawmakers Debate Medicaid Expansion After Plan Dies In Wyo.

News outlets also report on how Pennsylvania's new Democratic governor is simplifying the expansion begun by his Republican predecessor and track political developments in Florida and Kansas.

The Washington Post:
Medicaid Expansion In Jeopardy In Two Red States
Efforts in two Western states to accept hundreds of millions in federal funds to expand Medicaid are running into roadblocks with conservative lawmakers, in spite of Republican governors who back the expansions. In Wyoming, the state Senate voted 19 to 11 against expanding health coverage to about 17,600 low-income, uninsured residents. Moments after the vote, a state House committee said it would no longer consider its own version of Medicaid expansion, effectively killing any hopes this year. (Wilson, 2/9)

The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Wolf Opts For Traditional Medicaid Expansion
Fulfilling a campaign pledge, Gov. Wolf on Monday moved to dismantle his predecessor's alternative to Medicaid expansion and implement a traditional plan to extend health insurance to hundreds of thousands of low-income Pennsylvanians. Wolf said the "Healthy PA" alternative plan instituted by Gov. Tom Corbett was flawed, confusing some patients and leading others to lose treatment. He called his action a step "toward simplifying a complicated process and ensuring hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have greater access to the health insurance they need." (Worden, 2/9)

Reuters:
Pennsylvania Launches Medicaid Expansion: Governor
The state of Pennsylvania has launched an expansion of the Medicaid health insurance program, governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said in a statement on Monday. "Today is the first step toward simplifying a complicated process and ensuring hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have greater access to the health insurance they need," said Wolf, who ousted Republican Governor Tom Corbett in November's election. (2/9)

WLRN:
Expanded Medicaid's Time May Have Come At Last, Miami-Dade Legislators Say
The stars seem to be aligning for Medicaid expansion in the Florida Legislature this year. After two years of blunt refusals to even consider it, some top Republicans, like Miami State Sen. Anitere Flores are saying the time has come. "And what's interesting," Flores said after a Monday interview with the Miami Herald editorial board, "is that you have the buy-in from the business community, from the private sector, from your nontraditional supporters of government funding." (Stone, 2/9)

CQ Healthbeat:
Utah Republicans Weigh Medicaid Expansion
The Utah legislature will debate Medicaid expansion this week, days after the issue faltered in Wyoming. A few states are weighing whether to broaden eligibility in Medicaid, the federal and state partnership for the poor. The issue died in Tennessee last week after GOP Gov. Bill Haslam was unable to persuade other Republicans to expand coverage. In Utah, a plan by Republican Gov. Gary Herbert is competing against a different, narrower proposal by other Republicans to expand benefits for people who are medically frail. On Tuesday, Utah Republican legislators will meet in a closed-door meeting before deciding how to proceed. (Adams, 2/9)

The Kansas Health Institute News Service:
Alternative Plan For Kansas Medicaid Expansion Introduced
An alternative plan to expand Medicaid loaded with elements meant to woo Republicans has been introduced in Kansas. But it could face the same difficult political climate that killed similar bills in other states last week. Rep. Tom Sloan said Monday that the proposal introduced by the Vision 2020 Committee he chairs represents a Kansas solution that can appeal even to those who campaigned on unwavering opposition to the federal health care reforms spearheaded by President Barack Obama. (Marso, 2/9)

In other Medicaid news -

The Des Moines Register:
Why Medicaid Won't Let You Spend More
William Robertson of Perry wrote in wondering why Medicaid doesn't cover his co-pay at pharmacies. Robertson says he's supposed to be covered by Medicaid and additional insurance for retired military. He also complained that he and his wife, who moved into Rowley Masonic Community nursing home in 2013, are limited to $50 of spending per month or they lose the Medicaid, administered by Iowa's Department of Human Services. (Rood, 2/8)

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